This past Thursday, we met Jack E. George, author of The Autism Handbook. Today we have an interview with this brilliant author.
Why did you write this book?
I had several changes in my thought process when writing this book. It started out to be Twelve Special People. The idea behind that thought was to write about twelve individuals I had worked with who had the disability known as autism. I changed that outline when I realized how devastating the diagnosis of autism is to a family. Then I looked at many books and articles. This helped me to realize that there is not really a basic book for families (as well as new teachers, social workers, and so forth) that need a fast read to have an overall view of autism without all of the details and involved explanations. After a few more months I decided it would be a good idea to combine my original thoughts. So, The Autism Handbook was outlined and the overall concept was conceived – with the hope of helping people new to autism (be they family members, college students, or whomever) to gain an insight and awareness of this disability.
Is this the first book you have published?
No, my first book was A Broken Charity: The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Educational Center. I was hired, originally, as a manager for the Schneerson Hebrew School, in San Francisco. I later became the principal of the elementary site. Since I am not Jewish, I did not understand a number of situations I observed; however, the day the Internal Revenue Service came in, searched the business offices, and closed the charity I realized I did not need to know so much about the Jewish religion as I did about laws and ethics. The leader of the charity, Rabbi Bentzion Pill, was one of the first organizers of auctioning donated cars, in the United States. This soon became a multi-million dollar business for the charity. However, monies were not properly accounted for and this caused the visit from the IRS. Eventually, after a lengthy trial, the Rabbi was found guilty of dealings with the finances, and received a sentence to serve time.
What do you hope this book will accomplish?
The goals of my book are threefold: I want to offer an easy-to-read and understand book about the complex disability we call autism; second, I want parents and care-providers to realize that, although their child displays difficult behaviors, at home, and in public, that s/he is not the only child who throws a temper tantrum at a local restaurant, runs out the door causing the adult to chase after him/her to keep the child safe, or behaves in a way most people do not understand; third, it is my hope that the readers of my book will gain insight and ideas into how to deal with different behaviors, personalities, and so forth by understanding how my staff and I worked with these various issues.
How often do you write, i.e. daily, or what?
My answer to this is not typical of different authors I have read about. I realize that most writers spend x number of hours writing x number of days per week. Well, due to other activities in my life this is not a style that fits me. I know I will finish what I start (if I really like the subject matter). Knowing and understanding this, I might spend hours one day when I am on a roll and very few hours the following day. In fact, the next day I may not write at all. It is also typical for a week or more to pass before I open my notebook and begin writing. I am presently writing my next book, The Autistic Adult Handbook. I am presently immersed in the release of my present book. Therefore, I have put all of my energies into promotion thereby putting my next book to the side. I do not condone this type of writing style; however, it works for me.
When did you start writing and why?
I recall when I was in sixth grade the teacher gave us a writing assignment and we were to read this in front of the class. I spent very little time or energy on this assignment; however, when I started reading the story the students began to laugh so loudly that I needed to stop over and over. The teacher actually contacted my parents to tell them about the humorous story I had written. In eighth grade I sent a thank you note to my aunt and uncle, and their four children, for a pen they had given me for my graduation. They thought my note was hilarious and my 95 year-old aunt keeps this letter to this day. When I started teaching I started writing a children’s book, Felix the Three-Humped Camel. It was a humorous book. I would write a chapter then put it aside for months. I vowed to one day finish it but it was in storage and the storage unit burned and it was left in ashes. I still might work on this one day. The humor changed to fiction writing. My first book was my first attempt at non-fiction.
The stories about the children in your book are former students from your classes, how and why did you select these six?
The six children I chose to use in my book were selected from the many children I taught in school. Obviously, Greg, the first chapter, was because he introduced me to the world of autism. The other five were selected because of their different behaviors and personalities. I wanted to share different behaviors in order to give the reader a clear insight as to how my staff and I would deal with different situations. Cheri, for example, throwing a tantrum at the edge of a busy street; Bobby, throwing a tantrum because he was forced to look at his deceased grandpa lying in his casket – these are all real and they are all situations that parents and care-providers might one day be faced with.
Jack’s Website: www.jackegeorge.com
Jack’s Blog: http://jackegeorge.wordpress.com/
The Autism Handbook: Amazon
